Trump's EU Enlargement Stance Marks Historic Shift in US Foreign Policy

3 days ago7 min read

The Trump administration's emerging stance on European Union enlargement represents a historic rupture with decades of US foreign policy, treating the bloc's expansion as an irrelevant bureaucratic process rather than a strategic imperative. This new doctrine shatters a transatlantic consensus that dates back to the Marshall Plan, under which American leaders from both parties consistently championed a more integrated Europe as a vital bulwark against adversarial powers and a cornerstone of Western security.The shift carries implications reminiscent of a withdrawal from a long-standing tacit treaty, moving away from the vision of a Europe 'whole and free' toward a fragmented, bilateral approach that could pit European nations against one another. For Brussels, the consequences are particularly concerning: without Washington's firm support, the EU's leverage over candidate countries in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe weakens significantly, potentially strengthening Moscow's influence and stalling reform efforts in nations like Ukraine and Moldova.Diplomatic observers warn this pivot could signal a return to a more volatile nineteenth-century model of great power politics, where cohesive alliances fracture into shifting temporary arrangements, leaving smaller states exposed to regional pressures. The post-Cold War order, carefully constructed over generations, now faces erosion not through dramatic confrontation but through calculated indifference from Palm Beach.

#weeks picks news

#Donald Trump

#EU enlargement

#US foreign policy

#transatlantic relations

#Washington

#Brussels

#geopolitics